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Boulder County drug defendants face felony charges

By Victoria A.F. Camron

Times-Call staff writer

Posted:
07/01/2014 07:49:18 PM MDT

Updated:
07/01/2014 07:50:24 PM MDT

The Boulder County District Attorney's Office filed charges on Tuesday against seven people arrested last week in the Boulder County Drug Task Force's investigation of cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking.

The task force announced on Thursday it had arrested 17 people after a 10-month investigation it named Dos Caras. A Drug Enforcement Agency official said in a released statement that the drug ring's leaders were responsible for bringing methamphetamine and cocaine to Boulder County from Mexico.

Since that announcement, another nine have been arrested in connection with the investigation.

Prosecutors opted not to file charges in the case against Erik Medina-Perez, 21, who was arrested on two outstanding warrants. He was one of the 17 arrested and named on Thursday.

Five defendants facing multiple felony charges are scheduled for a simultaneous preliminary hearing on July 24:

• Salvador Hernandez Jr., 21 — charged with distribution of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute on Aug. 2, 2013; possession with intent to distribute cocaine, more than 14 grams but not more than 225 grams (about half a pound), on June 26; and possession of drug paraphernalia on June 26

• Jonathan Padilla-Martinez, 31— charged with conspiracy - controlled substances, more than 225 grams of cocaine; two counts of conspiracy - controlled substances, more than 14 grams but not more than 225 grams of cocaine; four counts of conspiracy - controlled substances; possession of a controlled substance; and 20 misdemeanors

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• Manuel Pinto-Martinez, 38 — charged with conspiracy - controlled substances, more than 14 but not more than 225 grams of cocaine; conspiracy - controlled substances; and a misdemeanor

• Ernesto Valles Rivas, 21 — charged with distribution of a controlled substance, more than 14 grams but not more than 225 grams; and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance

Two other defendants who appeared in court on Tuesday are scheduled for status hearings on July 21. Brice Alday, 24, is charged with possession of a controlled substance and violation of bond conditions, both felonies. Michael Coffelt, 45, is charged with possession of a controlled substance, also a felony.

Since Thursday's announcement, nine other people have been booked in to the Boulder County Jail in connection with the reported drug-trafficking ring. Three arrested on Friday are Adrian Lagarda-Munoz, 42; Jesus Rodriguez-Silva, 32; and Arturo Zatarain-Velarde, 52.

Two of those named on Thursday — Yolanda Barraza-Castillo and Desar Dominguez Lopez — have not shown up on the Boulder County Jail's custody logs or in the district attorney's office database of current cases.

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